The Movies

We are already at our 8th stop on the Road to the Stars! This time, we are talking about the great Katharine Hepburn.

Born on May 12, 1907, in Hartford, Connecticut, USA, Katharine Hepburn became one of the most celebrated actresses in Hollywood history. Her career made her Broadway debut in 1928, and spanned over six decades, during which she won four Academy Awards for Best Actress—an unmatched record to this day.

She first signed with RKO Pictures and made her film debut in “A Bill of Divorcement” (1932), and throughout the 1930s and 1940s, after a few setbacks, Katharine Hepburn starred in a string of successful films, earning critical acclaim and establishing herself as a leading lady–and even reached new heights in the 1950s and 1960s.

Known for her intelligence, wit, and fierce independence, she challenged societal expectations and blazed a trail for future generations of actresses.

In her later years, Hepburn continued to work in film, television, and theater, leaving a lasting legacy on cinema and popular culture. Katharine Hepburn passed away on June 29, 2003.

We are continuing our trip on the Road to the Stars. Our seventh stop is a legendary icon of Hollywood, Academy Award winner Humphrey Bogart, aka Bogie.

Born on December 25, 1899, in New York City, he started his career on Broadway before making his film debut in 1928 with The Dancing Town. For a good decade, he was mainly cast in supporting roles, often playing heavies.

He started to get praised for his work during the second part of the 1930s, but it was really during the 1940s that he left an indelible mark on the big screen–and the noir genre–with an array of timeless classics in which he often played somewhat anti-heroes, developing a cool–and enigmatic–persona with a distinctive voice, rugged charm, and wit.

An enduring symbol of Hollywood’s golden age, Humphrey Bogart died from cancer in 1957, at the age of 57.

Back on the Road to the Stars with our sixth stop, Academy Award & Emmy Award winner Barbara Stanwyck.

Born Ruby Catherine Stevens on July 16, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, Barbara Stanwyck had a difficult childhood marked by poverty and the loss of her parents at a young age. After making her debut on stage as a Ziegfeld girl, she quickly transitioned to acting and rose to prominence during Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Stanwyck’s career spanned over six decades, during which she starred in a wide array of genres, including dramas, comedies, film noirs, and westerns. She’s one of the few golden-age actresses to have successfully transitioned to television.

She was known for her strong, independent portrayals of women who defied traditional gender roles, earning her acclaim and numerous accolades. She won three Emmy Awards–for The Barbara Stanwyck Show (1961), The Big Valley (1966), and the miniseries The Thorn Birds (1983)–and finally received an Honorary Oscar in 1982.

She passed away on January 20, 1990.

We are going back on the Road to the Stars and our fifth stop is Academy Award & Emmy Award winner William Holden–who was also voted so many times into the “Top 10 Stars of the Year” during the 1950s.

Born William Franklin Beedle Jr. on April 17, 1918, in O’Fallon, Illinois, William Holden’s acting career was not a short one as it spanned over four decades. He rose to fame in the 1940s, but he really made his mark during the 1950s with a lot of now-considered timeless performances in classic and influential movies.

Holden appeared in dramas, romantic comedies, westerns, and war films alike. His ability to portray complex characters with depth and authenticity coupled with his good looks, charisma, and versatility made him an iconic American actor.

Beyond his acting career, Holden was also recognized for working for wildlife conservation as a managing partner in an animal preserve in Africa–a passion that would later lead to the creation of the William Holden Wildlife Foundation.

William Holden passed away on November 12, 1981, at the age of 63.

We are making our fourth stop on the Road to the Stars to look at Marlene Dietrich’s career, the iconic German-American actress and singer.

Born on December 27, 1901, in Berlin, Germany, Dietrich achieved international fame for her distinctive style and she gained prominence in the 1930s for her roles in films directed by Josef von Sternberg, becoming a symbol of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Marlene Dietrich’s career was not a short one, as it spanned several decades. During World War II, she used her fame to support the Allied forces, entertaining troops on the front lines.

After that, her career never returned to what it was, but she still appeared in movies for years. But she moved on and became a renowned cabaret artist performing worldwide. She died of kidney failure at her flat in Paris at age 90, on 6 May 1992.

For our third stop on the road to the stars, we are looking at William Powell. Born on July 29, 1892, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Powell began his career in silent films before successfully transitioning to the “talkies” era, leaving a lasting influence on Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Renowned for his distinctive voice and impeccable comedic timing, his charismatic and debonair persona made him a natural fit for witty comedies and sophisticated detective roles. He achieved significant acclaim for his portrayal of Nick Charles in The Thin Man series, alongside his frequent co-star Myrna Loy.

Beyond his comedic roles, Powell demonstrated his versatility in dramatic performances, earning critical acclaim for his work in films like Life with Father (1947) and The Great Ziegfeld (1936).

His ability to effortlessly portray charming and suave characters, combined with a rich filmography, solidified his status as one of Hollywood’s most accomplished actors. Powell passed away on March 5, 1984.

For our second stop on the Road to the Stars, we are looking at Veronica Lake’s movies. Veronica Lake, who was born Constance Frances Marie Ockelman on November 14, 1922, in Brooklyn, New York, became well-known in the 1940s and was regarded as one of the most well-liked and iconic actors of the time. Lake became famous for her unusual peek-a-boo hairstyle, which covered part of one eye to create an enigmatic yet dazzling appearance.

In the 1950s, alcoholism and other personal and professional setbacks contributed to Lake’s career collapse. Although she attempted comebacks in the ensuing decades, she faced challenges in her senior years. At the age of fifty, she passed away on July 7, 1973.

Recently, I watched All About Eve (1950) and loved it. Why didn’t I watch it sooner? Probably because there are so many movies to watch, many are just waiting to be selected. The thing is, how do I select the movies I watch?

I’m working on building for myself a solid film culture. I have been at it for a long time, but I never did it thoroughly. I’m always distracted. I want to watch a movie but it is just one more added to the pile. Recently, I destroyed the pile. I’m starting over in a way, and I finally choose how I’m going to go at it. The bonus point of this idea is that I finally know what to do with my blog, as all the great ideas I had never took form.

I’m launching a new series of articles titled “The Road to the Stars” (obviously, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Dorothy Lamour will be part of it at some point). Each article will focus on one movie star. The idea is to list their more famous movies, the ones you are supposed to watch as a curious movie buff searching to know his classics.

The goal is for me to do a little bit of research and find my blindspots to fill them. This will provide me with a roadmap in a way, and maybe others will find it useful. I’m going with movie stars, but I’ll probably also launch another series of articles soon to focus on directors. Naturally, there will be crossovers between the lists, but that’s part of the fun.

I intend to build the articles in a way that will allow me to go beyond the primary list because even if I want to watch those classics, I also like to look beyond. Anyway, I’ll make sure to update those articles if I find some less-known movies that I think deserve to be seen.

I could use Letterboxd to do that, you may argue, but I’m not always satisfied with the way they organize their data. Take Robert Redford. You click on his actor pages and the first movie listed is Avengers Endgame, then Captain America: The Winter Soldier. You decide to sort by “Average Rating” and they still are in the top 10, with a Jane Fonda doc and La Classe américaine. No disrespect to all these movies, but I’ll never watch them for Robert Redford. The system works better than IMDB though.

Anyway, we are starting with Cary Grant, and we will see how all of this takes form in the coming weeks and months (and years).